Tiger: "I thought the ball was embedded"
AP's Michael Casey explains the two-stroke penalty Tiger Woods received for taking embedded ball relief in sand, even though playing partner Martin Kaymer agreed the ball was embedded.
McFee said the rule was clear and that Woods never challenged him on it after the round. It came to light when a spectator alerted the European Tour to the infraction, he said.
"An embedded ball relief is through the green but in ground other than sand," McFee said. "I talked to him when he came off the 11th tee because I couldn't be sure about a two-stroke penalty until we got into the recording area. I don't know the exact spot where he was. I know the area. I would need Tiger to come out and have a look, and he was happy it was in sand."
Here is Tiger committing the violation...good luck seeing it:
And his interview explaining what happened:
Geoff
**Alistair Tait with more on the ruling and the impact this has for the tournament:
The news couldn’t be worse for Abu Dhabi and HSBC. With World No. 1 Rory McIlroy already missing the cut, the last thing the sponsors needed was to see Woods bow out of the event too. McIlroy and Woods are estimated to have been paid in the region of some $4 million to turn up in Abu Dhabi.
"I didn't know the rule either. Tough for Tiger. Tough for the tournament," said McIlroy.
Geoff
**Steve Elkington Tweeted a SecretsintheDirt.com cartoon with a nice poke at the new Tiger-Rory commercial:
Geoff
**M. Satya Narayan says the question of Tiger's embedded ball was raised by spectators, based on what she was told from European Tour officials.
Clarifying the penalty, European Tour Chief Referee McPhee said the incident had been brought to his attention by some spectators.
“Spectators spoke to a referee to say they were curious as to why the drop was given. I don’t actually think they realised what can they were opening. And the referee said ‘well, you know, it would likely be an embedded ball’. But then, when he went to look at the area, he thought to himself ‘I’m not so sure I would give that’. So then he called me and I went and had a look at it, and for sure, there’s no question about it the ball was embedded in sand.”
Bob Harig notes that it was "a writer following the group asked a rules official about the situation."
On Twitter, Golfweek's Alistair Tait Tweeted that he simply asked a question of an official in trying to clarify what the drop was for. The situation then snowballed from there when European Tour officials realized there might have been a violation.
Reader Comments (45)
With all of that said, I agree with the commentators who stated that he should have called over a rule official. At least he accepted it and moved on.
While we're at it, I noticed a marked difference between Tiger, who battled back to try and make the cut, and Rory, who seemingly mailed in the back nine. Maybe that's unfair, but that's sure the way it looked on TV.
That said clearly should have in this situation.
As an aside, if we're trying to determine what type of soil something is embedded in, the rule might be a tad complicated
Tiger did the right thing
This, for me, makes his not knowing how to proceed even more of a head-scratcher. Pretty straight forward stuff.
Clearly they were both wrong.
" I would need Tiger to come out and have a look, and he was happy it was in sand."
Does that sentence make sense?
So Rory can loll in a hotel room and watch Wozzers lose instead of getgting tweeteries. Someone: track that Gulfstream and see if it stops down in Austria for "re-fuelling!"
So, how much longer will tournament organizers keep pairing Tiger and Rory together?
If you're right then the following specimen local rule is likely applicable and Tiger/Martin perhaps not such idiots after all. Long live bifurcation!
---
Through the green, a ball that is embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground may be lifted, without penalty, cleaned and dropped as near as possible to where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green.
Exceptions:
1. A player may not take relief under this Local Rule if the ball is embedded in sand in an area that is not closely mown.
2. A player may not take relief under this Local Rule if interference by anything other than the condition covered by this Local Rule makes the stroke clearly impracticable.
(and if you look at the area I'd never have ID'd that offhand as sand)
this isn't a rip on rory or tiger. i don't blame them one bit. get your appearance money, and get home home and get ready for the pga tour.
As for why no rules official, my sense is they don't have as many on the European Tour.
The R&A and USGA don't see eye to eye on this Rule 100%, that is why it can be Local Rule rather than just in the Rules.
Tell you what, if I were a caddie out on tour on my own time I'd attend the most comprehensive rules seminar I could find and then I'd go for an update annually. The upside from saving your player from making mistakes like this would be just monstrous! My goal would be to know the rules as well as the officials...
DTF, Cink was, per the specious rules in effect at Harbour Town, in an area through the green and his ball lay on numerous loose impediments (crushed shells) that he was permitted to remove under Rule 23-1. Sand, e.g., that lying around Tiger's ball, is not a loose impediment unless it is on the putting green - thus creation of such a trench wwould be a breach of Rule 13-2.
The ''closely mowed'' is replaced by a ''thru the green'' which automatically eliminates the need to clarify ''sand in bunkers''.
***the following was clearly stated on MD***
the ''exception noted'' regarding sand was created because often a ball may be plugged in a sand dune on a links course, and NO RELIEF IS ALLOWED-play it as it lies.
***again, this was clearly stated on MD***
Now - my opinion is TW was frustrated and did not call for an official again, because he WAS FRUSTRATED- and as one is want to do in such situations- he rushed- and was not thinking clearly.
They know the rule- TW did not even want to go back out and look at the area, because, simply enough, he knew he was wrong and broke the rule- when you see a replay of the shot it is obvious that thus land is sand.
When you see an areal view of the edge of the course, IT IS SITTING IN THE DESERT- A DESERT MADE OF SAND- however, the course itself has topsoil, and is not considered sand, for the purpose of this discussion.
Sari wrote---
''I read a Steve Elling tweat that indicated that Alistair Tait (Golfweek) first raised the question. If so, that raises an interesting question: should journalists insert themselves, or should they remain merely reporters of events?''
Alistair Tate- asked why he got a drop- ***simply for the purposes of reporting*** This according to TGC reported Rex Hoggard, who was walking with Tait. There was no challenge to the free drop made by Tait, assuming Rex is telling the truth.
And finally.''When we had no crawfish, we ate sand.'' You ate sand?'' ''We ate sand.''
Great rule eh?
What Woods perhaps should have said to Khymer is "I'm not certain if I get a free drop, I'm proceeding as if for an unplayable lie or a free drop. If it's not a free drop, we'll check at the end of the round." The actual process, drop within one clublength was the same I think. Sean any comment or Barry do you read this?
1. A player may not take relief under this Local Rule if the ball is embedded in sand in an area that is not closely mown.
So a divot in the fairway would be an area that is closely mown, and relief would be allowed.
A. Tait is running the other way from this one huh?!? He should relax, taking the I Am The Story Championship Belt away from Alex "I Am The Story" Miceli will be very very difficult!!
How many tournaments were there from 1996-2009 that looked like this? One maybe. Two at the most.
His worst pre-hydrant - perhaps the Canadian Open at Royal Montreal which was the tournament before his cut-streak. Then there was a pretty skanky display at the Byron Nelson one year - 2007, 2008?
Post hydrant, there have been at least a dozen stinkers in one quarter of the time.
At this stage, it would be safe to conclude that we cannot extrapolate any of his pre-2009 win rate going forward with respect to reaching 18 or 19 majors.
Pretty straightforward info, not rocket science.
It's disappointing that world class players don't know this. I conduct Rules and etiquette clinics for Juniors in my area and I know some 10 year olds that are aware of this. Not being sarcastic, just a fact.
Go to USGA SITE' click on Rules then click on Workshops and you will get the schedule and locations.
There are actually as many local rules denying relief to pros on the European tour as there are ones such as this one which you could see as a bonus to the players-for example they do not give relief for stance for a burrowing animal or newly laid turf.
Tiger is VERY good at the Rules-this is a rare slip for him!